Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin questioned opening batter Abhishek Sharma's approach during his review of the second T20I between India and New Zealand at Christchurch.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin highlighted that Abhishek being a senior partner failed to provide the necessary support to 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was slotting into an unfamiliar No. 3 position after injury ruled Ishan Kishan out of the match.
Ashwin pointed out that Abhishek was playing the same shot on every ball. Instead of recognizing the pressure building on the other end, the swashbuckling left-hander kept trying to clear the boundary himself rather than rotating the strike.
According to Ashwin, it was Abhishek's core responsibility as the established senior batter to walk down the pitch, calm the teenager's nerves, and offer him some advice.
“Abhishek was playing the same shot on every ball and it didn’t work when Vaibhav was at the other end. It was his job to calm Vaibhav, rotate the strike and give him some advice," Ashwin said.
“That trick was missed. But it will be a valuable lesson for Vaibhav," he added.
Because this on-field chemistry and guidance were missing, Ashwin felt Sooryavanshi looked like a "fish out of water," swinging hard but failing to time the ball before getting dismissed for 4 runs off 8 deliveries.
In his analysis, Ashwin also recalled a tactical template used during the Asian Games, where the VVS Laxman-led coaching staff showed flexibility by opting for Sooryavanshi and Abhishek as opening pair, followed by Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.
However, the current management, headed by Gautam Gambhir, has treated the opening pair of Abhishek and Samson as "untouchable". Because they refused to break up the opening combination, the youngest player in the lineup was compromised by being pushed out of his ideal position.
Ultimately, Ashwin pleaded for patience. He strongly advised against rushing Sooryavanshi into unfavorable tactical scenarios.
“I feel we must not push for him to play so soon. He will get his chances. Don’t put so much pressure and expectation on him. If he misses these lessons, he will not become as big as he should," Ashwin stated.
“In the Asian Games, Vaibhav and Abhishek opened. Sanju played at three and Ishan played further down. It was a very interesting take. That’s not happening in this squad," he remarked.
Ashwin emphasized that at this stage of his development, Sooryavanshi needs the cushion of opening the batting to find his rhythm, as adapting to picking gaps and running singles under pressure in the middle overs is an entirely different skillset.
“I know it’s not his ideal spot. At this stage, he has to open if he is to succeed. But the problem was that he came to bat in the fifth over today and it’s not easy. He needs to know how to find gaps and take singles at this position," Ashwin said.
Despite Sooryavanshi’s failure in the second T20I, India managed to chase down New Zealand's target of 180, securing a 4-wicket victory to gain a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The third T20I will take place in Wellington on Tuesday (October 27).
